Player's you've run in to.

Tigermama

New member
Two years ago we were at Sydney airport, passing time waiting for our flight to Bali. We saw Todd Carney and his then girlfriend Lauryn Eagle waiting to catch the same flight as us , only they were in the first class queue. For 20 min. they stood there by themselves not talking. The girlfriend spend all that time with her head hunched over her iphone texting, facebook etc. As for Todd, he just stood there looking around. He looked awkward and uncomfortable. He looked relieved when it was time to board the plane. Maybe he couldn't wait to get stuck in to the booze.. :mrgreen:

In December last year we were in Miranda Fair doing some Xmas Shopping, when we noticed Brett Kimmorrley walking towards us. My impression of him?? He's short LOL! :mrgreen:

What are some of the players you have run in to, or have seen from afar and what was your first impression of them?
 
I known a few footballers over the years

Piece of advice , don't talk about football at first

That's all they hear from fans
 
Walking into a game one day, back in 04, i found myself walking next to Todd Payten. Really nice guy, asked me how i'd been like he knew me. He was out injured at the time and there had been talk he'd be out for another couple weeks. I asked him when he was coming back, he said the following week, and sure enough he was.

Also, a couple yrs back i had a chat to Tim Simona at a game. It was at C-town and it was just after an earthquake in Fiji or one of the other little islands, and a group of islander players were there collecting money. At this stage, he'd only played 3 or games and was barely recognizable. I walked up to him and said ''you're Tim Simona yeah?, and his face lit up, was probably the first time he'd ever been recognized. Also probably got a kick out of the fact he was standing next to Jarryd Hayne, and someone completely ignored Hayne and acknowledged him. Simona = cool dude.
 
Saw Todd Greenberg & Des Hasler @ Gold Coast airport.
Me & my Mrs were eating Sumo Salad waiting for our time to board and they just got off a flight, suited up and appeared to be in a hurry - later found out they were on the coast for Eastwood's dad's funeral or something.

Went to Albert Kelly's farewel party before he was leaving to play for the titans, a handful of NRL players there. Anthony Mundine was also there, chatted to them.

Nathan Merrit, Dylan Farrel & Greg Inglis - they all came into a store I worked at and got stuff, were down for a chat, photos, etc…. All good guys and Merritt is huge in person.

Met the u20's NZ squad when the test match was in Newy a few years back. Carlos Tuimavave offered me tickets to the game and is an absolute legend.

Met George Roses at the club one night, he's not as fat in person, believe it or not, still a big dude.

Have encountered knights players around the place for ages.
Don't like Jarrod Mullen but he's a big guy in real life.

Have met / spoke to - Kev & Wes Naiqama, Zane Tetevano, Beau Scott, Brad Tighe, Josh Mansour, Ben Barba, Tahu, Zeb Taia, Uate, Marvin Filipo, Tyrone Roberts, Richie Fa'ooso, Juniour Sau, Jamie Soward, etc etc.

Also chatted to some of the tigers boys from last years NSW cup when they played in Cessnock.
Moses, Santi, Sia, etc... all good guys.

Saw Asipeli Fine & Akaloula @ Canberra shopping but didn't talk to em or anything.
Tall lads.

Paul Haragon is at some of my nephews u10 games from time to time.

Former nights "super star"Justin Ryder works with at the local PCYC and does youth programs... I'm a youth worker so i've worked with him on a few occasions with some of the young fellas I work with. Super nice guy and still full of energy.
 
@GNR4LIFE said:
Walking into a game one day, back in 04, i found myself walking next to Todd Payten. Really nice guy, asked me how i'd been like he knew me. He was out injured at the time and there had been talk he'd be out for another couple weeks. I asked him when he was coming back, he said the following week, and sure enough he was.

Also, a couple yrs back i had a chat to Tim Simona at a game. It was at C-town and it was just after an earthquake in Fiji or one of the other little islands, and a group of islander players were there collecting money. At this stage, he'd only played 3 or games and was barely recognizable. I walked up to him and said ''you're Tim Simona yeah?, and his face lit up, was probably the first time he'd ever been recognized. Also probably got a kick out of the fact he was standing next to Jarryd Hayne, and someone completely ignored Hayne and acknowledged him. Simona = cool dude.

Thats such a good story.
Have seen you post it before, he seems like a cool dude and it's good that it's confirmed.
As I stated in the other thread, I reckon some of these big shots love fans making a fuss over them.
Some of the usual downers think otherwise but defo would've cut Hayne, lol.
 
@Demps said:
Saw Todd Greenberg & Des Hasler @ Gold Coast airport.
Me & my Mrs were eating Sumo Salad waiting for our time to board and they just got off a flight, suited up and appeared to be in a hurry - later found out they were on the coast for Eastwood's dad's funeral or something.

Went to Albert Kelly's farewel party before he was leaving to play for the titans, a handful of NRL players there. Anthony Mundine was also there, chatted to them.

Nathan Merrit, Dylan Farrel & Greg Inglis - they all came into a store I worked at and got stuff, were down for a chat, photos, etc…. All good guys and Merritt is huge in person.

Met the u20's NZ squad when the test match was in Newy a few years back. Carlos Tuimavave offered me tickets to the game and is an absolute legend.

Met George Roses at the club one night, he's not as fat in person, believe it or not, still a big dude.

Have encountered knights players around the place for ages.
Don't like Jarrod Mullen but he's a big guy in real life.

Have met / spoke to - Kev & Wes Naiqama, Zane Tetevano, Beau Scott, Brad Tighe, Josh Mansour, Ben Barba, Tahu, Zeb Taia, Uate, Marvin Filipo, Tyrone Roberts, Richie Fa'ooso, Juniour Sau, Jamie Soward, etc etc.

Also chatted to some of the tigers boys from last years NSW cup when they played in Cessnock.
Moses, Santi, Sia, etc... all good guys.

Saw Asipeli Fine & Akaloula @ Canberra shopping but didn't talk to em or anything.
Tall lads.

Paul Haragon is at some of my nephews u10 games from time to time.

Former nights "super star"Justin Ryder works with at the local PCYC and does youth programs... I'm a youth worker so i've worked with him on a few occasions with some of the young fellas I work with. Super nice guy and still full of energy.

How's Luke Burt these days?
 
@Sabre said:
@Demps said:
Saw Todd Greenberg & Des Hasler @ Gold Coast airport.
Me & my Mrs were eating Sumo Salad waiting for our time to board and they just got off a flight, suited up and appeared to be in a hurry - later found out they were on the coast for Eastwood's dad's funeral or something.

Went to Albert Kelly's farewel party before he was leaving to play for the titans, a handful of NRL players there. Anthony Mundine was also there, chatted to them.

Nathan Merrit, Dylan Farrel & Greg Inglis - they all came into a store I worked at and got stuff, were down for a chat, photos, etc…. All good guys and Merritt is huge in person.

Met the u20's NZ squad when the test match was in Newy a few years back. Carlos Tuimavave offered me tickets to the game and is an absolute legend.

Met George Roses at the club one night, he's not as fat in person, believe it or not, still a big dude.

Have encountered knights players around the place for ages.
Don't like Jarrod Mullen but he's a big guy in real life.

Have met / spoke to - Kev & Wes Naiqama, Zane Tetevano, Beau Scott, Brad Tighe, Josh Mansour, Ben Barba, Tahu, Zeb Taia, Uate, Marvin Filipo, Tyrone Roberts, Richie Fa'ooso, Juniour Sau, Jamie Soward, etc etc.

Also chatted to some of the tigers boys from last years NSW cup when they played in Cessnock.
Moses, Santi, Sia, etc... all good guys.

Saw Asipeli Fine & Akaloula @ Canberra shopping but didn't talk to em or anything.
Tall lads.

Paul Haragon is at some of my nephews u10 games from time to time.

Former nights "super star"Justin Ryder works with at the local PCYC and does youth programs... I'm a youth worker so i've worked with him on a few occasions with some of the young fellas I work with. Super nice guy and still full of energy.

How's Luke Burt these days?

I haven't seen Burty in a long time…
He lives @ Redhead, I moved away last May.
Not a fan of the bloke, haaaha.
 
I sold the Paea Boys (Lopini, Lalea, and Mickey) their Family Home in Ingleburn back in 2004 - real good will story - went from a 2 bedroom housing commission townhouse in Minto housing 12 family members to a 5 bedroom, 3 garage place in Ingleburn - They did all dealings thruogh there Manager, who nearly blew the deal for them… and with 12 of them living there - It's probably still not big enough for all of them!! Lovely guys though - scary looking buggers, but the nicest, god fearing, family men you will ever meet.

Met Joel Caine 2005 - he'd just finished up with the Tigers, and was now a Mortgage Broker - really nice guy, I asked him about the current point scoring record at the time he held, and he straight away said "Looks like Hodgo is on track to break it this year!" - He wasn't wrong. Shorter than I thought, and was happy to chat footy.

Met Beau Scott through a friend of friend - I told him I knew him from somewhere (thought I'd met him at another party TBH), and he insisted I knew him through playing footy for the Dragons. I honestly didn't know him as a footy player at the time, but he was pretty abrupt in saying that's how I probably knew him - I said to him - "So are you a first grader?" He says - "Mate, yep, played 42 games!" Didn't know him from a bar of soap at that time.

Met Brett Kimmorley at an LG Trade night (this was when Kimmorley played for the Sharks, and they were sponsored by LG) He's a really nice guy, approachable and friendly. Poor bugger got accosted at the urinals by some other blokes there, however he took it in his stride.

Met Beau Ryan outside a game at Parramatta - he was actually stranding all by his lonesome, no-one around him, and I just approached him and said "good luck today mate" he was very gracious, shook my hand and came across quite shy and nervous - This was Beau Ryan PRE channel 9 funny man though

Have met most of the Current Tigers stalwarts but only through brief conversations through certain events, etc - Jesse Sue in particular is a gentle quite young man, who also worked as a Teachers Aid with a mate of mine at a school for troubled youths. Chris Lawrence, James Tedesco, and Jason Taylor were all taught high school english by my dad at St Greg's Campbelltown over the years - Chris Lawrence was a 93 UAI HSC score student, and Dad says he probably could have gotten 99 and become a doctor if he wasn't already being courted by the Tigers at that point.

So a few interesting tales. Nothing to dish dirt about unfortunately. :smiley:
 
I ran into Pat O'Doherty at Kmart when I was a teenager. I was already a foot taller than him it seemed, but he had the biggest barrel chest I've ever seen. He was obviously with his family because they all had the same body-shape.
 
I have known a few people who know Bryce Gibbs, and the opinion is always the same, he's a bit of a twat. Though, tbf i think its all due to the fact he can't handle his alcohol. The trouble he got into a couple times when he was here makes that easy to understand.

My little sister and her mum frequent the coffee shop at Wests Leagues and often she shows me pics of Tigers players she's met. Gareth Ellis, Brooks, Tedesco etc. The nicest guy though apparently was Adam Blair.

Not a footballer, but i did once attempt to approach Greg Norman in the car park at a tournament, but his bodyguard ushered me away, and Norman couldn't give a stuff. There was no one around so it wasn't like he was being mobbed. I suppose a 12 yr old with a texta and cap can be pretty dangerous. I wasn't surprised though as my uncle had seen him previously at a tournament have a go at a father who tried to approach him for an autograph for his son. The two nicest golfers i met (I went to heaps of tournaments as a kid and meant tons) were Bernard Langer and Gary Player. Player had about 100 people around him and he made sure no one missed out on an autograph despite his son trying to drag him away cos they had a plane to catch.
 
I haven't really been in a position to encounter any league players for quite a long time now. The last lot I bumped into was Gus and his Roosters team at the airport - 2004 perhaps? I can't really remember. Used to know a lot of the Wests players in the old days - my mum and Raudonikis' mum were close friends, we used to sit with his family at the games. Terry Lamb's mum was also there. Dallas Donnelly came to my house once or twice, as well.

Haven't really met a lot of famous sports people that I can recall, although I did work at the Olympics in 2000 and bumped into quite a few athletes there - i.e. Grant Hackett, Michael Klim, Michelle Timms. I suppose my biggest brush with fame would have to be with Hollywood actor, Robert Wagner, in America way back in 1980.
 
Played against a fair few of the tigers boys in touch at Timbrell Park (Benji, Dene, Bronson, etc). against Isaac Luke (Heffron), Bryan Fletcher (Queens Park).They all seem like alright guys.

Was on a business class flight back to Sydney from Hong Kong and sat with the wallabies team back in 06/07\. Sat next to Cameron Shepherd (Didn't know who he was at the time) for 10 hours and Lote and Gregan were behind me. I had nothing to talk to them about as I know nothing about union.
 
@Demps said:
Saw Todd Greenberg & Des Hasler @ Gold Coast airport.
Me & my Mrs were eating Sumo Salad waiting for our time to board and they just got off a flight, suited up and appeared to be in a hurry - later found out they were on the coast for Eastwood's dad's funeral or something.

Went to Albert Kelly's farewel party before he was leaving to play for the titans, a handful of NRL players there. Anthony Mundine was also there, chatted to them.

Nathan Merrit, Dylan Farrel & Greg Inglis - they all came into a store I worked at and got stuff, were down for a chat, photos, etc…. All good guys and Merritt is huge in person.

Met the u20's NZ squad when the test match was in Newy a few years back. Carlos Tuimavave offered me tickets to the game and is an absolute legend.

Met George Roses at the club one night, he's not as fat in person, believe it or not, still a big dude.

Have encountered knights players around the place for ages.
Don't like Jarrod Mullen but he's a big guy in real life.

Have met / spoke to - Kev & Wes Naiqama, Zane Tetevano, Beau Scott, Brad Tighe, Josh Mansour, Ben Barba, Tahu, Zeb Taia, Uate, Marvin Filipo, Tyrone Roberts, Richie Fa'ooso, Juniour Sau, Jamie Soward, etc etc.

Also chatted to some of the tigers boys from last years NSW cup when they played in Cessnock.
Moses, Santi, Sia, etc... all good guys.

Saw Asipeli Fine & Akaloula @ Canberra shopping but didn't talk to em or anything.
Tall lads.

Paul Haragon is at some of my nephews u10 games from time to time.

Former nights "super star"Justin Ryder works with at the local PCYC and does youth programs... I'm a youth worker so i've worked with him on a few occasions with some of the young fellas I work with. Super nice guy and still full of energy.

Wow… You met a few , haven't you Demps. I'm impressed :wink:
 
@underdog said:
I sold the Paea Boys (Lopini, Lalea, and Mickey) their Family Home in Ingleburn back in 2004 - real good will story - went from a 2 bedroom housing commission townhouse in Minto housing 12 family members to a 5 bedroom, 3 garage place in Ingleburn - They did all dealings thruogh there Manager, who nearly blew the deal for them… and with 12 of them living there - It's probably still not big enough for all of them!! Lovely guys though - scary looking buggers, but the nicest, god fearing, family men you will ever meet.

Met Joel Caine 2005 - he'd just finished up with the Tigers, and was now a Mortgage Broker - really nice guy, I asked him about the current point scoring record at the time he held, and he straight away said "Looks like Hodgo is on track to break it this year!" - He wasn't wrong. Shorter than I thought, and was happy to chat footy.

Met Beau Scott through a friend of friend - I told him I knew him from somewhere (thought I'd met him at another party TBH), and he insisted I knew him through playing footy for the Dragons. I honestly didn't know him as a footy player at the time, but he was pretty abrupt in saying that's how I probably knew him - I said to him - "So are you a first grader?" He says - "Mate, yep, played 42 games!" Didn't know him from a bar of soap at that time.

Met Brett Kimmorley at an LG Trade night (this was when Kimmorley played for the Sharks, and they were sponsored by LG) He's a really nice guy, approachable and friendly. Poor bugger got accosted at the urinals by some other blokes there, however he took it in his stride.

Met Beau Ryan outside a game at Parramatta - he was actually stranding all by his lonesome, no-one around him, and I just approached him and said "good luck today mate" he was very gracious, shook my hand and came across quite shy and nervous - This was Beau Ryan PRE channel 9 funny man though

Have met most of the Current Tigers stalwarts but only through brief conversations through certain events, etc - Jesse Sue in particular is a gentle quite young man, who also worked as a Teachers Aid with a mate of mine at a school for troubled youths. Chris Lawrence, James Tedesco, and Jason Taylor were all taught high school english by my dad at St Greg's Campbelltown over the years - Chris Lawrence was a 93 UAI HSC score student, and Dad says he probably could have gotten 99 and become a doctor if he wasn't already being courted by the Tigers at that point.

So a few interesting tales. Nothing to dish dirt about unfortunately. :smiley:

Great post UD :slight_smile:
 
@GNR4LIFE said:
I have known a few people who know Bryce Gibbs, and the opinion is always the same, he's a bit of a twat. Though, tbf i think its all due to the fact he can't handle his alcohol. The trouble he got into a couple times when he was here makes that easy to understand.

My little sister and her mum frequent the coffee shop at Wests Leagues and often she shows me pics of Tigers players she's met. Gareth Ellis, Brooks, Tedesco etc. The nicest guy though apparently was Adam Blair.

Not a footballer, but i did once attempt to approach Greg Norman in the car park at a tournament, but his bodyguard ushered me away, and Norman couldn't give a stuff. There was no one around so it wasn't like he was being mobbed. I suppose a 12 yr old with a texta and cap can be pretty dangerous. I wasn't surprised though as my uncle had seen him previously at a tournament have a go at a father who tried to approach him for an autograph for his son. The two nicest golfers i met (I went to heaps of tournaments as a kid and meant tons) were Bernard Langer and Gary Player. Player had about 100 people around him and he made sure no one missed out on an autograph despite his son trying to drag him away cos they had a plane to catch.

I never liked Greg Norman for some reason.. Now i know why :smiling_imp:
 
@Tigermama said:
@GNR4LIFE said:
I have known a few people who know Bryce Gibbs, and the opinion is always the same, he's a bit of a twat. Though, tbf i think its all due to the fact he can't handle his alcohol. The trouble he got into a couple times when he was here makes that easy to understand.

My little sister and her mum frequent the coffee shop at Wests Leagues and often she shows me pics of Tigers players she's met. Gareth Ellis, Brooks, Tedesco etc. The nicest guy though apparently was Adam Blair.

Not a footballer, but i did once attempt to approach Greg Norman in the car park at a tournament, but his bodyguard ushered me away, and Norman couldn't give a stuff. There was no one around so it wasn't like he was being mobbed. I suppose a 12 yr old with a texta and cap can be pretty dangerous. I wasn't surprised though as my uncle had seen him previously at a tournament have a go at a father who tried to approach him for an autograph for his son. The two nicest golfers i met (I went to heaps of tournaments as a kid and meant tons) were Bernard Langer and Gary Player. Player had about 100 people around him and he made sure no one missed out on an autograph despite his son trying to drag him away cos they had a plane to catch.

I never liked Greg Norman for some reason.. Now i know why :smiling_imp:

Yeah, always has come across like a tosser, i feel justified though cos i have my own personal experience.

Kids usually ask all golfers for their caps, gloves, anything they can get signed and collect. I asked Peter Lonard for his cheque once, but he wasn't willing to give it up 😢

Michael Campbell, the kiwi golfer gave me two balls at one tournament walking between holes. He did it once early in the round, then again later on. He went on to win the US Open a couple yrs after that, but of course i have no idea what i did with them.
 
Ive seen Marty Taupau a couple of times at Westfields Parra

I also saw radradra and fui fui there two years back….when radradra was just starting...called out to them..."Hey Semi...who's your mate?"
 
I met and had a photo with Matt Lodge after the Dragons game last week, and when I first saw him I was like…what a freaking beast! I asked him why he wasn't playing and he told me he got stood down, I didn't know he was stood down... So i felt so awkward afterwards lol.
 

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